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Ever since I ran over that shepherd's hook my daughter threw out in the yard last summer, my lawnmower has not been right ever since.

This was what it was doing:



Then all of a sudden I hit a large stick and it starts making this ungodly noise where one of the blades was hitting the deck. So I pulled the blades off and sure enough they were bent up pretty bad.



So I installed new blades and it fixed the problem for a few mowing cycles. Now it's doing it again!

I put the mower up for the fall and decided to just mess with it in the spring. Since we had a drought last summer and there was really no grass to mow. So I got it out today for the first time this season to knock down some stray weeds and mulch some leaves I missed last fall before the grass starting growing. I don't fertilize my yard and I have a zoysa grass so it doesn't start to grow until mid May.

Here's what I have checked so far:

Tire pressures
Cracked or bent spindles
Obviously bent blades (underneath deck)
Adjusted nut on left side of mower to level deck using bubble level.
Deck wheels.
Checked to see if the bar that goes from the deck to the front end is still there (I lost the original one)

So far here is all I can find wrong with the mower.

With the deck set at "3" where I normally mow, the wheels on the "fixed side" of the deck touch the ground. The ones on the "adjustable side" lack about 1/2" from touching the ground.

I tried adjusting the deck to where all four wheels contacted the ground (in my level concrete garage). Well this threw the deck off (using my bubble level) and seemed to make it worse. I recall that the owner's manual said to set the deck height to where you want it then adjust the deck wheels to where they would make contact with the ground. The thing is there is no adjustment on these wheels, just holes. Seems like when I got this mower back in 2009, they did but now they don't and I have no idea why (deck wheels worn out?).

So I proceeded to raise the deck height up to where the deck was level using a bubble level. So now the deck seems to be level (side to side) but the wheels on the adjustable side no longer contact the ground.

I'm about to pull my hair out on this one. Do I need to pull the blades off and check to make sure they are not bent again? I don't recall hitting anything hard. I rotated the blades and eyeballed how far the ends were from the bottom of the deck. They seem straight just from doing a visual inspection.

What else could it be? Do all four wheels need to touch the ground? I can't think of anyway to adjust them unless I drill a new hole in the deck.

Would replacing the deck wheels do the trick? They do seem to be worn out a bit.

Bubble level will not work. The deck is not flat or straight. You can only level deck by measuring blades from ground up to blade tip. Front to back and left to right.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/mod...elNumber=917289240&diagramPageId=&documentId=
Your mowers manual for leveling deck. If this is not your manual it is because you did not give the model number just the name of the mower.

turbofiat124 said:

Ever since I ran over that shepherd's hook my daughter threw out in the yard last summer, my lawnmower has not been right ever since.

This was what it was doing:

Then all of a sudden I hit a large stick and it starts making this ungodly noise where one of the blades was hitting the deck. So I pulled the blades off and sure enough they were bent up pretty bad.

So I installed new blades and it fixed the problem for a few mowing cycles. Now it's doing it again!

I put the mower up for the fall and decided to just mess with it in the spring. Since we had a drought last summer and there was really no grass to mow. So I got it out today for the first time this season to knock down some stray weeds and mulch some leaves I missed last fall before the grass starting growing. I don't fertilize my yard and I have a zoysa grass so it doesn't start to grow until mid May.

Here's what I have checked so far:

Tire pressures
Cracked or bent spindles
Obviously bent blades (underneath deck)
Adjusted nut on left side of mower to level deck using bubble level.
Deck wheels.
Checked to see if the bar that goes from the deck to the front end is still there (I lost the original one)

So far here is all I can find wrong with the mower.

With the deck set at "3" where I normally mow, the wheels on the "fixed side" of the deck touch the ground. The ones on the "adjustable side" lack about 1/2" from touching the ground.

I tried adjusting the deck to where all four wheels contacted the ground (in my level concrete garage). Well this threw the deck off (using my bubble level) and seemed to make it worse. I recall that the owner's manual said to set the deck height to where you want it then adjust the deck wheels to where they would make contact with the ground. The thing is there is no adjustment on these wheels, just holes. Seems like when I got this mower back in 2009, they did but now they don't and I have no idea why (deck wheels worn out?).

So I proceeded to raise the deck height up to where the deck was level using a bubble level. So now the deck seems to be level (side to side) but the wheels on the adjustable side no longer contact the ground.

I'm about to pull my hair out on this one. Do I need to pull the blades off and check to make sure they are not bent again? I don't recall hitting anything hard. I rotated the blades and eyeballed how far the ends were from the bottom of the deck. They seem straight just from doing a visual inspection.

What else could it be? Do all four wheels need to touch the ground? I can't think of anyway to adjust them unless I drill a new hole in the deck.

Would replacing the deck wheels do the trick? They do seem to be worn out a bit.

Click to expand...

London to a brick & on you will finds one of the spindle mounting legs cracked.
It is a very common problem with AYP decks and is a design feature to prevent damage if you mow over something really hard.
The spindle mounts break & the belt then jumps off.

BlazNT said:

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/mod...elNumber=917289240&diagramPageId=&documentId=
Your mowers manual for leveling deck. If this is not your manual it is because you did not give the model number just the name of the mower.

Click to expand...

Yes I did, it's in the subject header "YTS 3000".

YTS 3000 is not a model number that is a series number. there are cases within craftsman were two mowers of the same series were actually made by two different companies in the same year.

the actually model number is on a label under the seat.

ILENGINE said:

YTS 3000 is not a model number that is a series number. there are cases within craftsman were two mowers of the same series were actually made by two different companies in the same year.

the actually model number is on a label under the seat.

Click to expand...

OK, I'll check with that. I kind of figured the number on the hood would be good enough when I wrote this post. Being it's made by Husqvarna I figured all their mowers like this would use the same method.

The deck leveling procedure says:

A tilted mower deck can cause uneven cuts. Park the lawn tractor on a flat surface and inflate all 4 tires evenly. Lower the deck to the cutting position and position the blades sideways. Measure the height of the cutting blade outer edges. Adjust the mower deck hangers to level the mower blades for an even cut.

I don't know how your supposed to measure the blade height with the deck on the ground...

Bertsmobile1: I guess the only way to know is to physically pull the spindles off the deck and check? Otherwise I grabbed the blades and they did not move and looked at the ears and didn't see any breaks. I figured since it has three legs if one leg is broken the spindle/blade should wobble.

If none of the spindles are broken and none of the blades are bent what's my next step? The deck wheels on the adjustable side sort of baffle me. Are they supposed to touch the ground like the other side? Like I said they are a bit worn down.

Looks to me like if one set of wheels is touching the ground and the other side is not, this would cause the deck to be uneven. On the other hand it may not be the wheels at all.

I'm wondering if I should replace these, then adjust the deck on flat concrete to where all four touch the ground like it did when I bought this mower new.

That's bound to be frustrating, my old craftsman used the same blades. When installing blades, I had to rotate them a bit when tightening the nut to make sure the star pattern slid all the way up to spindle base. When my mower did a pattern like in your pics, it was a bent blade. I know you have newer blades, you may want to pull them and place one on top of the other (like they were packaged when bought) and see if they fit together, seeing if there is minimal gap and rocking movement, then switch them (top to bottom) and do the same.
Sometimes hard to tell a bend with the eye or placing on a level surface with that type of blade.

My anti scalp wheels ride above the ground never touching unless I am about to scalp the lawn. I will not be able to tell you where they should be untill I get your model number.

turbofiat124 said:

OK, I'll check with that. I kind of figured the number on the hood would be good enough when I wrote this post. Being it's made by Husqvarna I figured all their mowers like this would use the same method.

The deck leveling procedure says:

A tilted mower deck can cause uneven cuts. Park the lawn tractor on a flat surface and inflate all 4 tires evenly. Lower the deck to the cutting position and position the blades sideways. Measure the height of the cutting blade outer edges. Adjust the mower deck hangers to level the mower blades for an even cut.

I don't know how your supposed to measure the blade height with the deck on the ground...

Bertsmobile1: I guess the only way to know is to physically pull the spindles off the deck and check? Otherwise I grabbed the blades and they did not move and looked at the ears and didn't see any breaks. I figured since it has three legs if one leg is broken the spindle/blade should wobble.

If none of the spindles are broken and none of the blades are bent what's my next step? The deck wheels on the adjustable side sort of baffle me. Are they supposed to touch the ground like the other side? Like I said they are a bit worn down.

Looks to me like if one set of wheels is touching the ground and the other side is not, this would cause the deck to be uneven. On the other hand it may not be the wheels at all.

I'm wondering if I should replace these, then adjust the deck on flat concrete to where all four touch the ground like it did when I bought this mower new.

Click to expand...

A strong light is a good place to start.
Pull the deck out then rotate the blade so it is directly over one of the 3 legs
Grab the end of the blade and try to push it up & down.
Repeat on all 3 legs on both blades.
The blades themsleves should have no play up down if so then new bearings are required.

When back on the mower set the deck to about midway and measure the height of the blades front back and left right.
I use a block of wood 2" x 2.25" x 2.5" others use a coffee cup wrapped around a coke can, the blade will leave a dent in it so you can pull it out and measure it.
Make sure both sides of the blade are the same height, check them against each other and at the edge.
If one side is always lower then the blade is bent if one side of the blade is lower than the other, both ways then the housing is off center ( deck bent ).
I put a blob of paint on one end of the blades to make things easier.

There is a good You tube on blade checking on Taryl Fixes All channel on You Tube.

Lots of my confusing works are better explained with a few seconds of video.

Sorry I have not had a chance to look at this mower since the other day. I've been working night shifts.

I work with a guy works on mowers and saw him yesterday. I asked him if it were possible the shaft on one of the spindles could bend but not actually break the pot metal legs on the housing and he says he has seen that happen before. My assumption was the housing was made of such weak porous material that the housing would break long before the shaft could possibly bend.

Another thing he told me to do when checking for a bent spindles is to engage the blades (not when the mower is running of course). He says with the belt disengaged, the blades may appear to line up correctly but when the blades are engaged the belt tension will move the spindle (if the feet around broken).

It looks to me like the right hand side blade is the culprit. I'll take a look this weekend and see what I find.

BlazNT said:

My anti scalp wheels ride above the ground never touching unless I am about to scalp the lawn. I will not be able to tell you where they should be untill I get your model number.

Click to expand...

Chuck ..why is it (or so it seems) owners of Cub-Cadet and Craftsman mowers can't seem to figure out what their
model number is .. instead of the series line.. maybe manufacturers should put LARGE labels on the steering wheel AND gas caps to alert the owner of its location of the ID tag ..I think new owners are using their manuals to light-off the BBQ , or wipe their
set-down ..!! ..:confused2:

Turbo,

Here is the youtube Bert mentioned. I've uploaded this to quite a few folks. It is pretty straight forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSwcf_-APXI

Boobala said:

Chuck ..why is it (or so it seems) owners of Cub-Cadet and Craftsman mowers can't seem to figure out what their
model number is .. instead of the series line.. maybe manufacturers should put LARGE labels on the steering wheel AND gas caps to alert the owner of its location of the ID tag ..I think new owners are using their manuals to light-off the BBQ , or wipe their
set-down ..!! ..:confused2:

Click to expand...

I think this has to do with the way cars are named and taken care of. Call a mechanic about problems with your car and he does not ask for your VIN just year, make, and model.

I'm not sure what the serial number has to do with general yard scalping issue but here it is:



My yard grows really slow because my grandfather plugged it with zoysia grass 40 years ago which doesn't even green up until late April and I don't fertilize. Once every 2 weeks is all it needs.

So I pull the deck off to have a better look and this is what I found:







For some reason it was not obvious, not did the spindle move when grabbing it from above the deck.

So far the blades look straight but once I get the new spindle installed, I check to see if the deck or blades are bent before putting it back on the mower.

To add insult to injury, my backup mower, an MTD Troy Bilt 42", started giving me trouble. Apparently over the winter, some dirt or something go into the float valve. When my father stopped by to talk, in the meantime, gasoline filled the crankcase and hydrolocked the engine.

I was at the bottom of my driveway when this happened so I called him and we tethered it with a nylon strap and brought it back to my garage. Luckily it was just dirt or the pivot rod would not pivot. The viton tip was still good and after removing the float valve and cleaning it and the passages with carb cleaner then testing it upside down, I was able to finish mowing my yard.

I don't really like this mower because I'm too used to the hydrostatic drive on the Husqvarna/Craftsman and having to come to a complete stop to speed up or slow down is a pain.

It has better traction than my Craftsman but I always thought MTDs were one step below Snappers when build quality is concerned so I only use this thing as a backup. I figure if I mowed with it regularly, it wouldn't last 2 years before the mower is worn out. My yard is pretty rough. I really need a lawnmower with a suspension!

The reason the model and serial number is so important is because sometimes things change mid year, and parts breakdowns are determined by serial number. Also with Craftsman there are several different manufacturers, all with different issues. I have had two of the YTS9000 series in the shop at the same time, one made by Husqvarna and one made by MTD. so if you day you have a YTS9000 what mower do your actually have.

The model and serial number is like Make, Model, and year of a vehicle. I have a 96 Dodge Dakota, that if I walk into any auto parts store and ask for an oxygen sensor, I will receive the wrong one, I have to tell them it is a 97. Mid production change in the wiring harness.

Serial number we normally don't need but some time we do as a part change through the year will be noted in the serial number. Craftsman does not mke its own mowers so we need the model number to tell who actually produced it. By the way you have a Husqvarna. MTD also produces for Craftsman. I like to steer away from that lot. In the model number the first 3 numbers are who makes the machine. 917 is Pulan witch is owned by Husqvarna. Now back to your blades and spindle. Part #: 187281 $34.81 from http://www.searspartsdirect.com/par...ategoryName=Lawn, Tractor&brandName=CRAFTSMAN . Your blade is bent circled red in picture. The cutting surface should be flat like blade circled in green.

BlazNT said:

Serial number we normally don't need but some time we do as a part change through the year will be noted in the serial number. Craftsman does not make its own mowers so we need the model number to tell who actually produced it. By the way you have a Husqvarna. MTD also produces for Craftsman. I like to steer away from that lot. In the model number the first 3 numbers are who makes the machine. 917 is Pulan witch is owned by Husqvarna. Now back to your blades and spindle. Part #: 187281 $34.81 from http://www.searspartsdirect.com/par...ategoryName=Lawn, Tractor&brandName=CRAFTSMAN . Your blade is bent circled red in picture. The cutting surface should be flat like blade circled in green.
View attachment 31756

Click to expand...

OK, I understand what your saying. I thought I mentioned in my original post that this mower was made by Husquvarna but had a Craftsman badge on it.

I went out to take a look at my blades. These are mulching blades by the way.

Here are both stacked one on top of the other.



From above:



They look straight to me. The broken feet on the spindle on the right are on the same side as the end of the blade that is cocked upwards which maybe causing it to look bent.



The deck could still be bent but I'm going to check this after I install the new spindle and go from there.

I looked under the deck and couldn't tell that there was anything wrong so I assumed it was the anti-scalping wheels that were worn out.

Pictures do not always tell the whole story. Blades do not look bent when stacked on each other. If you have a bench or hand held grinder sharpen the blades.

It is a matter of leverage.
By grabbing the blades you get a big mechanical advantage and that does make a difference.
You can not check the housings by grabbing the pulleys.
Even "professionals" like myself can miss a cracked spindle housing and many of them will look fine , untill you put a load on them when they open up.
This is why you have to pull the deck and put some serious weight on the blades to check properly.
Expect all the bolts to break off when you try & remove them.
Aftermarket spindle housings come with new bolts, Originals don't.
Check the prices , usually a complete housing + spindle + bearings is only a few $ more than the bare housing and worth doing the whole lot in one hit.
Nice clean deck by the way, nice to see some one who looks after their mower.

bertsmobile1 said:

It is a matter of leverage.
By grabbing the blades you get a big mechanical advantage and that does make a difference.
You can not check the housings by grabbing the pulleys.
Even "professionals" like myself can miss a cracked spindle housing and many of them will look fine , untill you put a load on them when they open up.
This is why you have to pull the deck and put some serious weight on the blades to check properly.
Expect all the bolts to break off when you try & remove them.
Aftermarket spindle housings come with new bolts, Originals don't.
Check the prices , usually a complete housing + spindle + bearings is only a few $ more than the bare housing and worth doing the whole lot in one hit.
Nice clean deck by the way, nice to see some one who looks after their mower.

Click to expand...

I already got spindle and pulley off and a new spindle on the way. This is what I ordered:



Loosening the bolts on the spindle was not as hard as I expected. I didn't even have to use any PB Blaster. The trouble was getting the pulley off. I ended up tilting the deck on it's side, putting the blade back on then sticking some screwdrivers through the holes in the spindle against the blade so it wouldn't move.

While blowing off my driveway, I take my leaf blower and blow off the top of the deck, engine, etc. before putting it in my yard barn.

Edit:

I see what you mean know about no grass buildup under the deck. I didn't notice that. I don't know why but grass doesn't seem to stick to the underside of my decks like it does on my father's. It maybe the type of grass I have (zoysia grass?).

A couple of years ago, the mount with screw that holds/adjusts the deck broke and I welded it back on. So I may have removed all the grass then.

Whenever I fix my father's mower or sharpen the blades there is about an inch of buildup on the underside. I have to use a paint scraper to remove it.

BlazNT said:

Pictures do not always tell the whole story. Blades do not look bent when stacked on each other. If you have a bench or hand held grinder sharpen the blades.

Click to expand...

So if the blades don't appear to be bent stacked, how's the best way to know if they are bent? I laid each blade against my garage floor, and they were straight. I even took a level and laid it against each blade and each was straight.

What are you seeing that I am not?

The photo you enclosed with the end of the blade circled, was with the blade mounted to the spindle with the broken ears.

Sorry for the confusion. I am agreeing with you they are not bent.

Looking at that pic of the underside, I can see it's got some perspective error, so it's not like you can draw a square on it and expect it to be accurate, but I dood it anyway! I rotated the entire image counterclockwise till the housing lip near the wheels appeared "level". Next I made a couple short lines in green, kinda sighting along the planes of the tire tread and along the rim.

I used the shift key on the wheel to the left side of the pic to restrain the lines to strictly horizontal and vertical. They appear to align well with the rim and tread. But on the right side of the pic, that wheel seems badly tilted outwards on the tread and perhaps the housing corner is bent as well, which would have the effect of lifting that wheel higher off the ground. You could lay a straightedge or board across the housing in various directions for an eyeball reference to things.

Probably the wheel won't matter as much once the spindle is back to spec. A little leverage with an old "Crescent" wrench will tweak the wheel or housing closer to true.
-Ed

Compact7 said:

Looking at that pic of the underside, I can see it's got some perspective error, so it's not like you can draw a square on it and expect it to be accurate, but I dood it anyway! I rotated the entire image counterclockwise till the housing lip near the wheels appeared "level". Next I made a couple short lines in green, kinda sighting along the planes of the tire tread and along the rim.

I used the shift key on the wheel to the left side of the pic to restrain the lines to strictly horizontal and vertical. They appear to align well with the rim and tread. But on the right side of the pic, that wheel seems badly tilted outwards on the tread and perhaps the housing corner is bent as well, which would have the effect of lifting that wheel higher off the ground. You could lay a straightedge or board across the housing in various directions for an eyeball reference to things.

Probably the wheel won't matter as much once the spindle is back to spec. A little leverage with an old "Crescent" wrench will tweak the wheel or housing closer to true.
-Ed

Click to expand...

Yes the first thing I noticed was the deck wheels were a bit wobbly/worn and when the deck was on flat ground, the wheels on one side was touching the ground but the other side was not. That was my initial question if worn or loose deck wheels would have anything to do with scalping the yard. The first thing I did was try to tighten the nuts on the deck wheels but I'm out of adjustment and two of them are still wobbly.

I tried leveling the deck by adjusting the large screw that supports the rear of the deck but it didn't seem to make any difference when it came to scalping the yard.

UPDATE:

I got the broken spindle on and went on a test mow. Everything seems find now. Someone told me those deck wheels are there to prevent scalping when making turns and doesn't serve any purpose when going in a straight line. I'll know for sure when I mow my yard again.

If the yard is being scalped going around turns, I'll replace the wheels.